Michael Searles (1750–1813) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

commercial architect of large houses, particularly in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. His most notable achievement is perhaps The Paragon in

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

. Searles was the son of a

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

surveyor, also named Michael Searles (c. 1722–1799), who served (from 1765) as surveyor to

Morden College Morden College is a long-standing charity which has been providing residential care in Blackheath, south-east London, England for over 300 years. It was founded by philanthropist Sir John Morden in 1695 as a home for 'poor Merchants... and su ...

in Blackheath. Searles and his father formed an unofficial father and son partnership producing plans in and around Greenwich before Searles junior set up his own practice. The Paragon, SE3 - geograph

Landowner

John Cator John Cator (21 March 1728 – 26 February 1806) was an English timber merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1772 and 1793. He became a landowner and property developer with estates in later life in: Blackheath, Beckenh ...

granted development leases to Searles and builder William Dyer to design and build a series of high quality dwellings, intended to appeal to upper middle class buyers, situated on the south-east side of Blackheath. Facing the heath, South Row and Montpelier Row were erected from 1794 to 1805. However, Searles's masterpiece was the adjacent Paragon, a 14-house perfect crescent occupying a semicircular plot in the corner of the Heath. The Paragon (today Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s) comprises seven blocks of semi-detached houses, each linked by a single story colonnade, with a lodge house at each end. Each house was different internally: Searles would provide the buyer with a brick shell which could then be fitted out to suit the buyer's tastes and budget. However, the scheme nearly ruined Searles financially; the development took ten years to build, with the last house not occupied until 1805. Apart from his own home at 155

Old Kent Road Old Kent Road is a major thoroughfare in South East London, England, passing through the London Borough of Southwark. It was originally part of an ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and used by the Anglo-Saxons who named it Wæceli ...

, other London works include: *Deptford Union, 70-82 Blackheath Road rade 2 Listed(1786) *31 Blackheath Road, London SE10 *Marlborough House, 317 Kennington Road, Kennington (c 1787) *114-132 Kennington Park Road (1790) *23 Champion Hill, Camberwell (1791) *south part of Gloucester Circus crescent,

(1791-1809) *Surrey Square,

Walworth Walworth () is a district of south London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the Old ...

(c. 1793) *a terrace in

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Green, north London 2017-Woolwich, Royal Arsenal gate

He built another Paragon before 1787 on the south side of

New Kent Road New Kent Road is a road in the London Borough of Southwark. The road was created in 1751 when the Turnpike Trust upgraded a local footpath. This was done as part of the general road improvements associated with the creation of Westminster Br ...

, near the junction with Old Kent Road. This consisted of six blocks of semi-detached houses linked by a single-story colonnade. It was later extended to a complete semicircle fronting New Kent Road by the addition of a pair of houses at each end. It was demolished in the 1890s to be replaced by more modest housing and a Council school, which has since been converted into apartments and been given the name The Paragon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Searles, Michael 1750 births 1813 deaths 18th-century English architects People from Greenwich Architects from London